Wadded Beef:Crudbucket: Wadded Beef: Wellon Dowd: Today I learned that Mad Men is a sitcom.

DON DRAPER: (Takes sip of yet another drink, furthering his current descent and foreshadowing a future of sadness, isolation and regret)

STUDIO AUDIENCE: AHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA.

It adds a new perspective.

That was...wow...just...wow.

That pretty much demonstrates just how uncomfortable it was in the How I Met Your Mother finale when, right after they revealed that the mother had been dead for 6 years, Ted's daughter encouraged him to go bone Aunt Robin, with a really loud laugh track accompanying it. Even if worked from a story perspective, the tone of the scene was thrown off horribly by the laugh track.

Also, of all the stupid things to talk about, this is right up there. The living spaces aren't realistic because...wait for it...they're filming a TV show on a sound stage! They aren't real places with real rent, they're, as they say, enlarged to show detail and to make it possible to film.

Oddly enough they don't make many shows about people to poor to have someplace to live.

Phins:serpent_sky: Gig103: How about Penny living across the hall? Even a one-bedroom would be probably 2/3 the $1700 estimate, so $1100/mo on a waitress salary?

I've also wondered why Leonard and Sheldon need to be roommates, with Leonard dealing with all of Sheldon's quirks, if he could have a place just like Penny's on his own.

(I move a lot. These things get to me. I know the show wouldn't work otherwise. Haha.)

The theme from "Friends" always bugged me about how "broke" they are (rent controlled or not)... also that building has massive disparity in apartments when you look at Monica and Rachael's versus the one across the hall the guys live in. No building in NYC has a huge, gorgeous spread out apartment like the girls and then that little dingy one across the hall.

There was one episode where Sheldon said that all of his monthly expenses were only ~45% of his salary. But in another episode, he said that he would live alone if he could afford the rent himself.

No, I don't watch that much television, I just have a really good memory.

First, afford means different things than whether one can technically scrape by. I can do a half million dollar home. I don't consider it affordable.

Second sheldon's roomate takes on his commuting costs and half the rent/utilities, so even at its most technical the two of sheldon's statements could be true.

And Don Draper was on a ton more than $150k , his living room is probably 1000 square feet and he got (IIRC) $500,000 in 1960's cash for his share of Stirling Cooper. He could afford a pretty nice pad..

Semper IvXx:Also, of all the stupid things to talk about, this is right up there. The living spaces aren't realistic because...wait for it...they're filming a TV show on a sound stage! They aren't real places with real rent, they're, as they say, enlarged to show detail and to make it possible to film.

Oddly enough they don't make many shows about people to poor to have someplace to live.

The thing about Friends that bugged me was that they'd be sitting around the coffee house in the middle of a weekday, when one would assume they'd be at work. I seem to recall Joey mentioning it one time when everyone was talking about their bosses not liking them. Also...Ross. Didn't like him.

Semper IvXx:Also, of all the stupid things to talk about, this is right up there. The living spaces aren't realistic because...wait for it...they're filming a TV show on a sound stage! They aren't real places with real rent, they're, as they say, enlarged to show detail and to make it possible to film.

Oddly enough they don't make many shows about people to poor to have someplace to live.

serpent_sky:skozlaw: It was heavily implied numerous times throughout the series that Jerry Seinfeld made considerably more money than you would expect just from looking at his career from the outside. In all likelihood, Jerry was paying only a relatively small fraction of his actual income in rent.

Like when he bought the Cadillac for his father like it was nothing, or never seemed to want for anything,

jerry, on the show, seemed to be the kind of guy who, no matter how much money he made, had no need for a big fancy house/apartment or most worldly possessions. he was a perpetual bachelor who would rather spend his money outside the house.

in real life, i have no idea what his house is like, but i do know he has a car collection

Mid_mo_mad_man:The Cosby show's townhouse always bugged me. How could they afford it? Neither adult seemed to be at thier practice

both the adults were supposedly very successful veterans of their fields...and i recall several episodes where cliff was shown treating patients/delivering babies

Seacop:Mid_mo_mad_man: The Cosby show's townhouse always bugged me. How could they afford it? Neither adult seemed to be at thier practice

I thought Cliff had a home office?

been a while sine i really watched, but i think you're correct

Gig103:How about Penny living across the hall? Even a one-bedroom would be probably 2/3 the $1700 estimate, so $1100/mo on a waitress salary?

Semper IvXx:Also, of all the stupid things to talk about, this is right up there. The living spaces aren't realistic because...wait for it...they're filming a TV show on a sound stage! They aren't real places with real rent, they're, as they say, enlarged to show detail and to make it possible to film.

Oddly enough they don't make many shows about people to poor to have someplace to live.

i always thought the norman lear shows were about as accurate as possible with the living arrangements

phalamir:Mr. Coffee Nerves: I still want to know why three surgeons/officers had to share a single tent on M*A*S*H* while Klinger got an entire tent to himself for his wardrobe.

Why did two jag-offs and a complete twat, who between the three of them could give everyone in the camp a compelling reason under the UMCJ to slowly torture them unto death, but the guy who ran the office where all the logistical paperwork originated got his own tent? Nope, can't think of a single reason.

To make matters more interesting you've got to take into consideration the changes in jobs for Klinger.

If you recall, Radar lived in his office or at least he slept there and Klinger was just a lowly corpsman with his own tent. I think when Klinger got the promotion to company clerk he moved into the office, giving up his own tent.

The article says he's a Nuclear Safety "instructor", which I don't think is right. I think he's head of safety in the plant, which probably requires at least a masters in engineering. Which of course Homer doesn't have but he must have gotten the job through some comical means. The salary is probably about right.

BizarreMan:phalamir: Mr. Coffee Nerves: I still want to know why three surgeons/officers had to share a single tent on M*A*S*H* while Klinger got an entire tent to himself for his wardrobe.

Why did two jag-offs and a complete twat, who between the three of them could give everyone in the camp a compelling reason under the UMCJ to slowly torture them unto death, but the guy who ran the office where all the logistical paperwork originated got his own tent? Nope, can't think of a single reason.

To make matters more interesting you've got to take into consideration the changes in jobs for Klinger.

If you recall, Radar lived in his office or at least he slept there and Klinger was just a lowly corpsman with his own tent. I think when Klinger got the promotion to company clerk he moved into the office, giving up his own tent.

Either way, Klinger was enlisted and as such should have been bunking with two or three other people.

The article says he's a Nuclear Safety "instructor", which I don't think is right. I think he's head of safety in the plant, which probably requires at least a masters in engineering. Which of course Homer doesn't have but he must have gotten the job through some comical means. The salary is probably about right.

if tfa said "instructor" it's wrong...nuclear safety INSPECTOR i do believe is correct.

i can't remember details right now, but i recall it was some sort of open application process when the plant opened, about the time homer was getting out of high school...or something like that. how he got such a seemingly high up job, i really don't recall.

bungle_jr:jerry, on the show, seemed to be the kind of guy who, no matter how much money he made, had no need for a big fancy house/apartment or most worldly possessions. he was a perpetual bachelor who would rather spend his money outside the house.

in real life, i have no idea what his house is like, but i do know he has a car collection

I know he lives in Manhattan with a wife and two kids, and has a box at the Mets' stadium, whatever that's called now. I'll bet he owns a couple floors of one of those buildings on Central Park.

bungle_jr:n real life, i have no idea what his house is like, but i do know he has a car collection

Real life Jerry has an internet show where he talks to other comics as they drive around. One episode he picked the guest up in a DeLorean. It broke down during the interview so he used his other one. I don't know if that was a bit or real but just the idea of having one DeLorean is pretty cool.

I always loved the Honeymooners apartment. The window looked out on an air shaft. There was a cloth covering the space below the kitchen sink. 2 1/2 rooms. It looked reasonable that a bus driver lived there.

macadamnut:bungle_jr: jerry, on the show, seemed to be the kind of guy who, no matter how much money he made, had no need for a big fancy house/apartment or most worldly possessions. he was a perpetual bachelor who would rather spend his money outside the house.

in real life, i have no idea what his house is like, but i do know he has a car collection

I know he lives in Manhattan with a wife and two kids, and has a box at the Mets' stadium, whatever that's called now. I'll bet he owns a couple floors of one of those buildings on Central Park.

and he could easily own that, as you said. he is quite rich.

i always thought it was refreshing on the show...which i still watch almost daily on tbs...seeing a celebrity (his character had at least minor celeb status) living in such a modest apt., knowing he COULD afford much more, but what's the point...?

I know it's not a sitcom, but a (pause for gagging) dramedy, but except for Sarah's basement pad and Amber's crack warehouse I have no idea how anyone on "Parenthood" can possibly afford their Berkeley/Bay Area homes.

bungle_jr:serpent_sky: skozlaw: It was heavily implied numerous times throughout the series that Jerry Seinfeld made considerably more money than you would expect just from looking at his career from the outside. In all likelihood, Jerry was paying only a relatively small fraction of his actual income in rent.

Like when he bought the Cadillac for his father like it was nothing, or never seemed to want for anything,

jerry, on the show, seemed to be the kind of guy who, no matter how much money he made, had no need for a big fancy house/apartment or most worldly possessions. he was a perpetual bachelor who would rather spend his money outside the house.

in real life, i have no idea what his house is like, but i do know he has a car collection

Mid_mo_mad_man: The Cosby show's townhouse always bugged me. How could they afford it? Neither adult seemed to be at thier practice

both the adults were supposedly very successful veterans of their fields...and i recall several episodes where cliff was shown treating patients/delivering babies

Seacop: Mid_mo_mad_man: The Cosby show's townhouse always bugged me. How could they afford it? Neither adult seemed to be at thier practice

I thought Cliff had a home office?

been a while sine i really watched, but i think you're correct

Gig103: How about Penny living across the hall? Even a one-bedroom would be probably 2/3 the $1700 estimate, so $1100/mo on a waitress salary?

Mugato:bungle_jr: n real life, i have no idea what his house is like, but i do know he has a car collection

Real life Jerry has an internet show where he talks to other comics as they drive around. One episode he picked the guest up in a DeLorean. It broke down during the interview so he used his other one. I don't know if that was a bit or real but just the idea of having one DeLorean is pretty cool.

i still haven't watched that show, shameful as that may be! when i'm sitting bored at the house trying to think of something to watch besides family guy and american dad reruns, i forget to look for that show online!

about the deloreans...delorean.com has many used for sale...most have "$inquire" on the price line, but there are prices from about $31k thru about $54k listed. you can get a "brand new" one, made from never-before-used parts, for something like $75k. so, delorean...not exactly like buying a rolls or bentley

bungle_jr:macadamnut: bungle_jr: jerry, on the show, seemed to be the kind of guy who, no matter how much money he made, had no need for a big fancy house/apartment or most worldly possessions. he was a perpetual bachelor who would rather spend his money outside the house.

in real life, i have no idea what his house is like, but i do know he has a car collection

I know he lives in Manhattan with a wife and two kids, and has a box at the Mets' stadium, whatever that's called now. I'll bet he owns a couple floors of one of those buildings on Central Park.

and he could easily own that, as you said. he is quite rich.

i always thought it was refreshing on the show...which i still watch almost daily on tbs...seeing a celebrity (his character had at least minor celeb status) living in such a modest apt., knowing he COULD afford much more, but what's the point...?

bungle_jr:about the deloreans...delorean.com has many used for sale...most have "$inquire" on the price line, but there are prices from about $31k thru about $54k listed. you can get a "brand new" one, made from never-before-used parts, for something like $75k. so, delorean...not exactly like buying a rolls or bentley

Yeah, I didn't say they were but someone mentioned that he collects cars and I thought that was kind of cool.

bungle_jr:Mugato: Target Builder: Homer Simpson is pulling in almost $80k?

The article says he's a Nuclear Safety "instructor", which I don't think is right. I think he's head of safety in the plant, which probably requires at least a masters in engineering. Which of course Homer doesn't have but he must have gotten the job through some comical means. The salary is probably about right.

if tfa said "instructor" it's wrong...nuclear safety INSPECTOR i do believe is correct.

i can't remember details right now, but i recall it was some sort of open application process when the plant opened, about the time homer was getting out of high school...or something like that. how he got such a seemingly high up job, i really don't recall.

That was for his original job (handling isotopes). He was promoted in the 3rd episode after complaining about the lack of safety in the plant. Of course I wouldn't be surprised if this promotion came with no raise or pay increase (typical of Mr. Burns), and workplace accidents have doubled every year since Homer got the job, so he probably isn't getting any bonuses.

Plus the author forgot that Abe Simpson sold the old family house to help Homer pay for his (and Homer shipped him off to a retirement home 3 weeks later), so the mortgage is much lower than it would be on a house that isn't paid for.

macadamnut:bungle_jr: macadamnut: bungle_jr: jerry, on the show, seemed to be the kind of guy who, no matter how much money he made, had no need for a big fancy house/apartment or most worldly possessions. he was a perpetual bachelor who would rather spend his money outside the house.

in real life, i have no idea what his house is like, but i do know he has a car collection

I know he lives in Manhattan with a wife and two kids, and has a box at the Mets' stadium, whatever that's called now. I'll bet he owns a couple floors of one of those buildings on Central Park.

and he could easily own that, as you said. he is quite rich.

i always thought it was refreshing on the show...which i still watch almost daily on tbs...seeing a celebrity (his character had at least minor celeb status) living in such a modest apt., knowing he COULD afford much more, but what's the point...?

Just once I would have liked to see him use his bike or his Mac.

this, too

the model of bicycle hanging on the wall varied...don't know why...but it wasn't always the same bike. and he NEVER rode a bike on the show

and he didn't seem to be the kind of guy who would use a computer. especially likely given the era...not like these days...

Mugato:bungle_jr: about the deloreans...delorean.com has many used for sale...most have "$inquire" on the price line, but there are prices from about $31k thru about $54k listed. you can get a "brand new" one, made from never-before-used parts, for something like $75k. so, delorean...not exactly like buying a rolls or bentley

Yeah, I didn't say they were but someone mentioned that he collects cars and I thought that was kind of cool.

/must be hard to get parts for though

i know you didn't say it was like getting a rolls or bentley, and i didn't mean to imply you said that...although after i hit "add comment" i thought twice about my comment...so, sorry :)

but apparently there was quite a stockpile of original parts when the dmc company shut down, so i think it's fairly easy to get certain parts. apparently, though, a door is quite difficult to come by...at least for stan smith.

i was just pointing out that for someone with jerry's money and jerry's car collection, 1 delorean would be really a neat collectable, but having 2 wouldn't be outrageous

The article says he's a Nuclear Safety "instructor", which I don't think is right. I think he's head of safety in the plant, which probably requires at least a masters in engineering. Which of course Homer doesn't have but he must have gotten the job through some comical means. The salary is probably about right.

if tfa said "instructor" it's wrong...nuclear safety INSPECTOR i do believe is correct.

i can't remember details right now, but i recall it was some sort of open application process when the plant opened, about the time homer was getting out of high school...or something like that. how he got such a seemingly high up job, i really don't recall.

That was for his original job (handling isotopes). He was promoted in the 3rd episode after complaining about the lack of safety in the plant. Of course I wouldn't be surprised if this promotion came with no raise or pay increase (typical of Mr. Burns), and workplace accidents have doubled every year since Homer got the job, so he probably isn't getting any bonuses.

In the episode where Homer finds the big pile of sugar, he tells Marge that he found a dollar. She yells at him that while he was out "earning" that dollar he lost $40 by not going to work, so he must have been making $5/hour.

Unless she was talking about net rather than pre-tax gross, so maybe he was making $7/hour.

Not a sitcom, but I do wonder how Sherlock manages to afford his flat on Baker Street. Yes, I know, Mrs. Hudson's cutting him a special deal, but still...and in "His Last Vow" we see that she's in debt so...how does that work, exactly?

Even in the books it says that Sherlock is paying her a princely sum for his rooms. Scotland Yard isn't paying him so...how...?

bungle_jr: about the deloreans...delorean.com has many used for sale...most have "$inquire" on the price line, but there are prices from about $31k thru about $54k listed. you can get a "brand new" one, made from never-before-used parts, for something like $75k. so, delorean...not exactly like buying a rolls or bentley

Yeah, I didn't say they were but someone mentioned that he collects cars and I thought that was kind of cool.

Mid_mo_mad_man:Gig103: How about Penny living across the hall? Even a one-bedroom would be probably 2/3 the $1700 estimate, so $1100/mo on a waitress salary?

daddy

GigglingJiggling boobs can really bring in the tips

Took me a second to parse that one...

Mugato:bungle_jr: about the deloreans...delorean.com has many used for sale...most have "$inquire" on the price line, but there are prices from about $31k thru about $54k listed. you can get a "brand new" one, made from never-before-used parts, for something like $75k. so, delorean...not exactly like buying a rolls or bentley

Yeah, I didn't say they were but someone mentioned that he collects cars and I thought that was kind of cool.

/must be hard to get parts for though

Delorean parts are incredibly EASY to get ahold of. Enough parts were produced to make over 30,000, but less than 10,000 got assembled. There's a company in Texas (Delorean Motor Company) that bought EVERYTHING...all the NOS parts, all of the CAD files, blueprints, everything. Any parts that they run out of, they can reproduce to OEM specs or better. They also do full restorations, and Back to the Future conversions, if I remember correctly.

bungle_jr:Mugato: Target Builder: Homer Simpson is pulling in almost $80k?

The article says he's a Nuclear Safety "instructor", which I don't think is right. I think he's head of safety in the plant, which probably requires at least a masters in engineering. Which of course Homer doesn't have but he must have gotten the job through some comical means. The salary is probably about right.

if tfa said "instructor" it's wrong...nuclear safety INSPECTOR i do believe is correct.

i can't remember details right now, but i recall it was some sort of open application process when the plant opened, about the time homer was getting out of high school...or something like that. how he got such a seemingly high up job, i really don't recall.

IIRC the episode where the plant was going to melt down Smithers and Burns were talking about Homer being hired under Operation Bootstrap. Mr. Burns thanked president Ford for that plan.